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Clients of My Personal Trainer are gaining strength and changing their lives, two 20-minute workouts at a time

Lynn and Jan Balfour wanted to lose weight and get into shape before their trip to Scotland. Find out how the training team at My Personal Trainer helped them reach their goals. (Photography: Benjamin Margalit)

By Patricia Nugent

There’s nothing as motivating as the prospect of taking a trip to supercharge your desire to lose weight and get back into shape.

For Jan and Lynn Balfour of Broadview Heights, that trip was to Scotland last fall, where they planned to take tours that required tons of walking. To prepare, they signed up at My Personal Trainer in Broadview Heights in February 2018 because Jan knew someone who had lost a lot of weight there and was very pleased with the results.

“The program appealed to us because it’s only twice a week for 20 minutes each session, which fit nicely into our busy schedules,” says Jan, who is an interior designer.

Follow Their JourneyAt 68, both Jan and Lynn said the weight had crept up on them over the years. They work full time, and their lifestyle included processed foods and dinners out. Neither one of them exercised.

“We were not comfortable being as heavy as we were and considered the vacation a wakeup call to inspire us to adopt a healthier lifestyle,” says Jan, who began her weight loss journey at 229 pounds and a BMI of 41% and is now down to 172 and 33% BMI.

With help from My Personal Trainer, Jan Balfour (right) went from 229 pounds down to 172. Her husband, Lynn, dropped 60 pounds.

For Lynn, whose father is still alive at 95 and mother lived to 94, he said knowing he will probably be around for a few more decades made him want to spend them enjoying life in the healthiest body possible.

To date, he has shed 60 pounds and lost a whopping 10 inches from his waistline.

Getting Over the Plateaus“Along the way, as the body adjusts to your strength training and healthier eating habits, it’s natural to hit a plateau,” Jan says. “When I did, at around 180 pounds, Audric and Michael were there to help push me through it.”

Audric notes that it’s often more common for women to plateau than men, and they have weapons in their training arsenal to get over them, including tweaks to the diet, water consumption and changing up the workouts.

For Lynn (left, pictured with MPT’s Mike), whose father is still alive at 95 and mother lived to 94, he said knowing he will probably be around for a few more decades made him want to spend them enjoying life in the healthiest body possible.

“We always look forward to going,” she says. “Mike and Audric are positive and motivating. They really keep you moving. They are great at tracking your progress. And the sessions are always changing so it’s never boring.”

The Difference Keeping Track Makes“I did not want to keep a journal of what we ate and drank,” says Jan. “In fact, I was kicking and screaming about it when they recommended it to us. But now, using an approved phone app to keep calorie counts, it makes things so easy. It makes you accountable for each bite knowing you’ll record it.”

Lynn says they don’t eat any processed foods anymore, and are enjoying preparing meals together made with fresh, healthy ingredients.

The Balfours report the two-week Scotland trip was amazing with their healthier BMIs, and say they’ll work even harder to get ready for the next trip: hiking in Yellowstone Park out west.

Why Less is More HereAccording to local MPT owner Eric Schaefer, the mission of the program is to fit into busy clients’ schedules by packing more into less.

“We accomplish so much during hyper-focused, twice-weekly sessions,” he says.

My Personal Trainer is unique in that client goals are reached by attending hyper-focused, twice-weekly sessions. Trainers customize each program to fit clients’ needs and goals, whether that means losing weight, putting on lean muscle mass, or boosting flexibility or energy.

“Our trainers customize each program to fit clients’ needs and goals, whether that means losing weight, putting on lean muscle mass, or boosting flexibility or energy. We provide accountability, tracking clients’ progress from session to session and motivating them along the way. We make the journey easy for them.”

Eric also notes that his studios cost far less—70% less—than the cost of a personal trainer, yet clients reap all the one-on-one benefits.